X-Factor #29 Review

Written by Peter David
Art by Valentine De Landro

Summary: Another day, another X title. Wolfesbane had left a letter for Rictor explaining why she left but he is burning it. He is kinda mad at her for leaving. Jamie and Guido are at their favorite bar and it has closed down. They interpret it as a sign. Guido says that they should take off and do work somewhere else but Jamie goes off on him saying isn't he leaving. Turns out he isn't because there are no mutants left to be a sheriff for. Jamie is walking back home and Siren is trying to tell him that he is a baby's daddy but he thinks she is leaving the team as well and completely blocks her out and doesn't let her say it. Siren is kind of mad until Monet explains to her that he had no idea what she was talking about. Rictor is leaving and goes outside and suddenly the whole building is in space. He runs back in and is freaking out. Him and Guido go outside again and everything is back to normal, then Rictor falls through a trans dimensional trap door. Siren tries to tell Jamie again but get interrupted again by Guido as they try to find Rictor. They explore this area but manage to wind up back on the street. Siren. Monet and a dupe take off because they hear Rictor who is being tortured James Bond style on a X-crucifix (groan). Guido and Jamie-Prime find themselves in a jungle when the boulder from Indiana Jones shows up and takes down Guido. On it is a poster of some C and or D-list villain called Arcade.

Comments: Look, there are too many X-titles. I just cant seem to care what is going on in each title. For example, are they really facing extinction at this point. I mean they have enough future mutants to know they live ie Cable and the baby is still alive so what the hell they bounce back. As for X-factor, I mean they seem to have no function now. They were all about protecting the former mutants as well as dealing with radicals who are trying to find a way to get their power back but now thats all gone. One thing that bugs me is when things have no function and X-factor seems like that. This was still a well-written comic and by the quality of it you would not know this group is useless. The art was solid too. The group chemistry is one reason this title is so strong and this issue reinforces that. Out of all the post Messiah Complex groups X-Factor is the best and it seems like such a waste to have them where they are. Brubaker has not found his rhythm yet on Uncanny and I doubt he will, and all the others seem to have no use except to build up to something else but that seems unlikely. X-Factor is well written with nice art but the overall direction of the title has me concerned but since we review on an issue by issue basis this is definitely a

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Mighty Avengers #10 Review

Written by: Brian Bendis
Art by: Mark Bagley

Summary: Ever since Bagley took over the art it seems like New Avengers is coming out weekly. Last time we left our heroes they were invading Doom until Sentry, Iron Man, and Doom accidentally shot themselves back in time. We pick up with Sentry waking up in an alley. He starts to freak out and notice some things are different. He sees his past self and goes crazy. Doom and Iron man face off briefly before they agree they need to get the fuck out of here. Sentry then shows up all crazy and pops Doom. He eventually calms down and go break into the Baxter building to get to the time machine. Sentry kicks the Thing's ass and they go back to the present. Doom doesn't happen to materialize and a nuke is in the way (coincidence). Iron man takes the nuke and the issue ends there.

Comments: I enjoyed this issue. This is just a fun arc. It has witty dialog that just puts a smile on your face. I liked the throwback art to show that they were in the past, that was amusing. The last page of Tony getting nuked is just awesome to look at. If i ever got nuked, I want it to look that pretty. I hope this title picks up to its original direction because right now it is just playing catchup to secret invasion which has caused it and new avengers to suffer. Bendis does do a good job with the writing. Doom's demeanor is classic. The way he just talks to Tony about how more people hate Tony than him, a vicious dictator. This is a great, fun issue so

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Salvation Run #5 Review

Through A Glass Deadly
Writer: Matthew Sturges
Art: Joe Bennett

Summary:
We have an all out brawl with the villains. Joker ends up putting a gun to Luthor's head. We go to the one dude and Christina. The man wants to breed his children on the planet, and make all the children of his blood. We go to Catwoman, who is about to join the villains fight. She gets into some heat with the villains. She rats out some dude as Martian Manhunter. MM battles with all the villians, eventually losing. We see that Desaad is going to sick some maggots on the villains.

Comments:
That was an ok issue. I really expected it to be as good as the last one, but we lost a lot of the humor and uneasy tension. This one is just all out fighting, which is ok, but it lacked substance. I liked the interaction between Luthor and Joker, but the whole Martian Manhunter thing was stupid. Even worse than that is the revelation that Desaad is just using them as training for his maggots.

Verdict:
FORGET IT

Booster Gold #7 Review

Blue and Gold (Chapter 2)- O.M.A.C'd
Writer: Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz
Art: Dan Jurgens

Summary:
We start the issue with Rip, Daniel, and the reporter. Rip wants Daniel to put on the Supernova uniform, because he thinks Booster is going to destroy the universe. We go to Booster and Beetle, who are on the run OMACs are chasing them down, but Beetle takes them out with his ship. They get on the ship, but the OMACs are about to break through. Kord does some Jedi mind tricks, fooling the OMACs into thinking that Blue and Gold are one of them. We go to Max Lord, and we learn that Kyle Rayner is dead. He figures out that Blue and Gold are still alive. They go to London. They crawl around through some sewers until they get to Catherine. She drops a bombshell and says that the world is in war with Max Lord and OMACS. They are knocking out all the heroes and some villains. Batman is missing. Superman is a heel. We go to Carter, who is chilling out in the dinosaur days. We see the future Blue Beetle, "The Black Beetle", telling Carter that the others have gathered. We go back to our heroes. Catherine is an OMAC. They brawl for a while until Green Arrow takes her out. Green Arrow and Hawkman make up the Resistance. We have Black Beetle and Supernova walking to a meeting with the Time Stealers.

Comments:
That was a solid issue. Johns and Katz do a good job with the plot development, but not so much on the characters. I liked how everything is pretty much unraveling on the Earth. The hopeless situation should help Booster come out like a champ. I liked how the future Blue Beetle went heel. That is a lot better. I like how there are 2 groups established- the Resistance and the Time Stealers. They can feud for a little while. I don't know where the OMACs will come in. Will they attack the Time Stealers too? I don't feel like Booster or Kord really shined in this issue, but the plot carried it. The art is pretty good.

Verdict:
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Countdown To Final Crisis #7

Gone Tomorrow
Writer: Paul Dini
Art: Tom Derenick

Summary:
We start the issue with Holly and her friend talking about how they don't have powers anymore and they are just normal people. We go back to the crew, who are carrying Karate Kid to JLA Headquarters. Superman doesn't know who they are. Firestorm freaks out and vanishes them to another place. They are in upstate New York. They figure out that they have been erased. Una cries about how we need to save Val. They go to a lab. Joker doesn't know Harley, so they must not be on the same earth. We see that Jason is in another fight. They sneak into the lab, and they are confronted by monsters. Jimmy takes them out. They run into Dubliex, who tells them that Val is already dead.

Comments:
Pretty forgettable issue. Useless banter and crappy fight scenes took up most of this book. So we learn that no one recognizes them and Val is dead. OK thats fine. Just don't put in so much filler. We are nearing the end, and we need substance. So get on it Dini. Art is what it always is. I have problems with how they are developing Jason. He is just a thug now. We see him in 1 panel, and he is getting into a fight with a citizen. That is just insane man. Calm down. I am still pretty excited for Final Crisis.

Verdict:
FORGET IT

Countdown To Final Crisis #8 Review

Writer: Paul Dini
Artist: Carlos Magno and Rodney Ramos

Synopsis: So the people at DC are just going balls to the walls to end this painful 52 week event. They probably are bleeding money due to this event. For those of you who don't follow countdown here let's jump into this summary. Ray Palmer is just shrinking his way to the chess board which the Monitor and Darkseid are going at it on the chessboard. Darkseid says he won (probably) and that the Monitors plan of setting up the Monarch failed him. The Monitor retorts that even though Darkseid has won he is going to die along with the Fourth World. Darkseid is calm though saying as he plans to remake reality anyway and there is no room for any of them in his Fifth World. Naturally Ray Palmer overhears and then books it back to the Challengers and breaks down what is going on with Darkseid. They debate over killing Karate Kid and Jason Todd makes another kill something comment. Jimmy Olsen meanwhile is jonesing to go to fight Darkseid because Darkseid has been loading him up with all the powers of the dead New Gods. The Monitor appears and warps them back to Earth while Darkseid crushes the Monitor piece because again, he is pretty sure he has won. We then get a Bizaroo backstory.

Comments: First the art is ok, there is this one really awkward panel with Donna Troy that just took me out of the issue. I just stared at it and was like god damn really, really DC? Dini has been solid on dialog but what the hell happened to Jason Todd? Seriously, he was never about killing for the sake of killing. He was an actual hero who just thought killing was necessary to cause change. He would do it because that is the only thing criminals respond to anymore. I am not appreciating this change in character at all, completely took the depth out of the character and made him into just another anti hero thug. It just isn't cool. I understand that now DC has just stopped caring and just wants to end but do you really have to stop with your commitment to quality, ok maybe you do but I hope Grant Morrison comes in and goes beast mode and makes everything ok. Basically Countdown has become the exact meaning of average which is why you

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Moon Knight #16 Review

Writer: Mike Benson
Artist: Mark Texeira

Synopsis: Moon Knight is one of those titles that has been on a hot streak. It had a disappointing finale to its last arc but quickly rebounded and has been rolling ever since. Hopefully this keeps up with the 16th issue of the series. Marc is having a dream where his god is telling him to stop fucking around and start killing some bitches. They use a very colorful playground analogy to help describe this to the reader. We cut to a news report of people being pissed off at Moon Knight for violating civil liberties and other Geneva Convention violations. The corrupt P.O. is trying to exploit that former supervillain again (him and his shenanigans) so he kills him. Marc is chilling at the resteraunt that Frenchie works at when Frenchie tells him to bounce his bitch ass because he just brings hurt to all this. Marc gets mad and is leaving and then him and Frenchie's domestic partner end their personal trainer relationship. Carson, the supervillain, is at a museum considering going back to his gimmick and when he runs into Marlene who is ducking Marc's calls. They have a nice chat and then part ways. Marc is suiting up and so is some creepy gang which might be important later. MK is at the cave getting the plane ready and they go out and assault that gang, Mark manages to take several down but one is about to pop him when he gets gunned down by the plane, and just for kicks the cops show up.

Comments: The art in this issue wasn't different but the whole Moon Knight/Marc drawings are not appropriate at all. Marc and Moon Knight are one in the same and when they do that it means they are trying to differentiate them but it doesn't work. I do miss the previous artist of this title now more than ever because that guy rocked out loud. I did not like how Marc was mad all the time, I kind of figured him as having two emotions, not caring and then mad. Also the humor came didn't really connect either. This wasn't a bad issue but the momentum kind of left. Props to Benson for correcting the ship after the most akward arc finale ever, but come on man, you gotta bounce back.

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